Improvement in railway-frogs



UNITEE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EEEDEIc o. wEIE, oE CINCINNATI,v oHIo.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAYfFROGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 171,073, dated December 1,4, 1875; application tiled A May I1, 1875.v

To all'whom it may concern Be it known that I, FEEDEIC C. WEIR, of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, State of Ohio, have invented an Improvement in Frogs and Frog-Joints, of which the following is a speci cation My invention relates more particularly to the class of reversible frogs, and is intended to remedy the pre-existing evils or defects in the use ot' this class of frogs; but it is also applicable, in part, to unreversible frogs and connecting-rails; and my invention consists, in the rst part, in the provision of chairs for the ends ofthe frog, and the ends of the rails having seats or beds to receive and support said ends, andupwardly-projecting flanges extending on each side of the joint between the ends of the frog and rail, to break thejoint and make a continuous bearing between the rails and frog, the chairs being of such construe tion that, while they may be used with a frog that is not mad e to reverse, they are particularly applicable to reversible frogs, and, by reason of the arrangement of the anges, are adapted to give a firm support to the rails. My invention consists, in the second part, of the combination of the flanged chairs, the rails connected thereto, and connecting-bolts to firmly secure the rails to said ilanges at the side, and thus dispense with the use of separate fish-plates. My invention consists, in the third part, in the peculiar construction of the frog, it being formed with cored compartments and a stiffening partition, forvthe purpose. of lightening the frog without depriving it of the necessary strength. My invention consists, in the fourth part, in the peculiar construction of the frog, by which it is specially adapted for reversibility and continuous bearing in a simple way, by the provision of a gap or slot at the heel, cut entirely through, and adapted to lit over the tongue of the chair ineither position.

Figure lis a perspective view of the frog and, its chairs, the frog being lifted to expose the chairs. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of thefrog in place in its chairs. Fig. 3 is a sectional perspective view of the frog, showing the manner in which it is cored.

A is the frog, formed, as shown, for reversibility, having a central web, a, and lugs b, for

attachment to the chairs, the web and lugs being so disposed, as shown, that the frog may lie on either side without aifecting the relation between itself and the chairs or rails. One end ofthe frog has parallel sides c o, and the other end a gap or slot, d, the gap d and sides calso being so constructed as to permit the reversibility of the frog. 0 D are chairs, to support the ends of the frog; and E F, intermediate chairs, to support the middle ot' the frog. The end chair C is provided with a central upWardly-projectin g iiange or web, e,

to lit the gap d and laterally support the frog at that end, and it is also constructed with beds f on each side of the iiange, to vertically support the face of the frog and beds g, for lugs b of the frog to rest upon, the brdsfg, when the frog is reversible, being in diferent planes. The chair D is provided with vertically-projecting anges h, whose interior faces iit the sides o c of the frog, and is con structed with beds ij, in different planes, to support this end of the frog in the same way as the beds f g operate.

Reversible frogs used heretofore have been made to rest upon the ties ot' the track, and were not supported in chairs which received the rails, and consequently the proper relation between rails and frog was liable at any time to be disturbed.

In my device the chairs C D oii'er mutual support to the rails J and frog, and neither rails nor frog can be displaced independently one of the other, both necessarily having to move together. The iianges e h not only serve to laterally sustain the frog in the manner in dicated, but l make them extend so far longitudinally beyond the ends of the frog as to embrace the sides of the rails J, and I permanently secure the ends ot' the rails to these iianges by bolts k, in the manner shown. This extension of the iianges alsoserves to break the joint between the rails and frog, and carry the weight of the cars over the joint.

The frog is cored into compartments G, divided yby partition or vertical web H, the latter being, preferably, relieved from unnecessary weight by apertures I, formed by the core. This corin g of the frog lessens its weight materially, without robbing it of the necessary strength, the central partition and the two sidesY-of-thefrog gvingall the stiuezssineeessary in a vertical direction. Y

I claiml. The end chairs O D for a frog, having the langes e h, to overlap the joint between the frog and rails, and laterally support thev frog,substantiallyas and for the .purpose specified.

2.v A reversible frog havingeored compartments G and partition H, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. A frog having parallel side faces c 0 at one end, and a gap or slot, d, at the opposite end,7V for a'ordinglateral VVsupport Atio the same, substantially asz'and for thepurpose specilieid. 4. In combination with the chairs C D e h and rails J, the connecting-bolts K, connected and operating substantially as and'for the purpose .,Specied- Inl testimony of which invention I hereunto seb my hand. 

